Malt-turning apparatus



( N 0 M 0 d e 1 v 3 S h e e t S S h 6 e t 1. RRRRRRRRRR MALT TURNING APPARATUS.

Patented Dec. 25, 1 888.

(No Model.) a Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. GRIESSER MALT TURNING APPARATUS.

No. 394,965. Patented Dec. 25', 1888.

n. PETERS, PhowLilhngrzyher. Wa hington. 0. a

(No Model.)

Zz'nesseS I 3 Sheets-Sheet a W. GRIESSER'. MALT TURNING APPARATUS.

Patented Dec. 25, 1888.

IILYZz'am 'Griassen N: PETERS. mwmm n m. .Wuhlngtoru o a llnrrnn rates IVILLIAM GRIESSER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MALT-TURNING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,965, dated December 25, 1888.

v Application filed October 14, 1887- Serial No. 252,352. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM Gninssnn, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Malt-Turning Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates, particularly, to an improvement in the turning or stirring apparatus, and is designed especially for use in a process of malting in which the barley after being steeped is introduced into long germinating-vats, in which it is maintained moist by the introduction through suitable conduits of air properly regulated as to temperature and saturated with moisture by passing through perforated plates or partitions, over the surfaces of which water is caused to trickle. The germinating-malt requires turning or stirring at intervals, which in the process referred to is accomplished by means of stirring mechanism caused to travel automatically and slowly upon the lateral edges of the vats first in one direction, and, when the stirring operation is again required, in the opposite direction, which movements back and forth intermittingly are repeated as often as required until the germination reaches a stage at which the malt is ready for removal to the drying-kilns.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved turning apparatus which shall operate to turn the malt more effectively than apparatus hitherto employed for the purpose.

To this end my invention consists in the general construction of my improved apparatus; and it further consists in details of construction and combinations of parts.

In the drawings, Figure 1 a sectional elevation of a house provided with means for practicing the malting process hereinbefore referred to and illustrated in the present connection to produce a clear understanding of the operation of my improved apparatus, the upper floor being provided with steep-tanks having hopper-bottoms, from which through the floor, by way of suitable chutes, the steeped grain is transferred to the germinating-vats on the floor below; Fig. 2, a horizontal section of the same, showing the germinating-vats side by side in plan view; Fig. 3, a View showing in sectional side elevation my improved turning apparatus; Fig. at, a broken sectional end view showing the reversible bucket detail of the device illustrated in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 a cross-sectional view of a germinating-vat provided with my improved turning apparatus presented in end elevation.

A denotes the germinating-vats, which in the practice of the process referred to are placed side by side in a suitable apartment, as shown in Fig. 1, leaving intervening spaces at which platforms are provided upon which to permit access-by the workmen to the vats, and the bottoms of the vats are provided near corresponding ends with hoppers r, through which the malt may be readily transferred when desired to an endless conveyer, 0", which elevates or carries it to the kiln-rooms.

Rotary shafts A, Fig. 2, are supported to extend transversely across the vats A near their ends, and carry pulleys r which are connected by means of suitable endless belts with the driving-pulleys on the turning ap paratus hereinafter described, and by the rotation of one of the shafts A the turning apparatus, one of which is supported 011 the upper lateral edges of each vat, is driven slowly in one direction to one end of the vat, and after a desired interval, by twisting the driving-belt, is driven slowly in the opposite direction to the opposite end of the vat, the motion of the apparatus continually actuating the mechanism to turn the malt, as hereinafter described.

The connection of the driving-pulleys of the apparatus with those 011 the rotary driving-shafts is not illustrated in the present drawings, as it presents no features of novelty and is the same as that employed in similar connections.

A description of my improved turning apparatus is as follows:

13 is a rectangular frame, carrying near opposite ends transverse shafts q and g, which extend beyond opposite sides of the frame, where they are provided with wheels 1), which rest upon tracks 1) on the upper edges of the sides of a vat, A, and cog-wheels 0, which engage with racks 0 at the outer sides of the tracks p and also on the upper edge or edges of the sides of a vat. Between and above the shafts q and q is supported a rotary shaft, a, carrying at one projecting end a belt-pulley, C, and inside the framea sprocket-wheel, m, connected by a chain, m with a similar wheel, m, on a shaft,'q, as shown, or q, and a sprocket-wheel, Z.

5 D and I), Fig. 5, are brackets rigidly secured to opposite sides of the frame 1;, to extend downward, and supporting near their lower ends at collars or hubs :r, keyedv or socured by set-screws within their bearings, a

transverse shaft, n, carrying near one end a sprocket-wheel, I, connected by means of a chain, 7 with the sprocketewhcel Z on the shaft 22, whereby the last-named shaft drives the shaft it, upon which are fastened pulleys It: at desired intervals apart.

I) and I) are arms rigidly secured at their upper ends to the hubs .r at the inner sides of the extreme pulleys 7., and carrying at their lower ends a rotary shaft, :1 upon which are fastened pulleys 70, of smaller diameter than the pulleys 7., and arranged like the latter.

It will thus be seen that the brackets 'D D and arms I) and l) are rigid in their vertical positions, though, on loosening or unkeying the collars or hubs .r .in their hearings in the ends of the brackets, the arms I) and I) may be moved pivotal] y.

A wide endless belt or apron, E,l igs. I} and.

o 4-, of canvas or other suitable material, surrounds the pulleys 71' and L1, and is taut in its position, whereby sufficient friction is pro duced by the pulleys 7 against the inner surface of the belt or apron to rotate it and the 3 5 shaft n? and pulleys upon the latter by the rotation of the shaft a.

l denotes buckets or scoops, preferably of Haring form, and also preferably, but not necessarily, concave on opposite sides, as shown.

40 The scoops are of the full width, or substantially so, of the apron E, and are hinged to the latter to extend transversely across it at their tapering ends or bases at intervals of about twice the width of the transverse diameters of the scoops, in order that theymay be reversed when it; is desired to reverse the motion of the turning appzu'atus, pivotal buttons or clamps 1 being provided on the apron at suitable points to engage with the scoops to hold them in either of their two positions.

Any required number of scoops may be employed within the capacity of the belt E to accommodate them, and a single one may be employed, if desired.

The operation of my improved, device is as follows: \Vhen it is time to stir or turn the malt in, a vator any number of the vats A, the belts of the driving-shafts A are applied to the driving-pulley C of as many of the turning apparatuses as it is desired to move, which by turning the pulley C of each drives it slowly in the desired direction and causes the endless apron. E to travel, wherel'iy the scoops I", one after the other in quick succession, take up the malt in the vat on the forward side of the apron and discharge it on the rear side thereof, thereby thoroughly turning it. \l'hen theapparatus reaches the end of the vat opposite that from which it started, it is stopped and its motion reversed, after a desired interval, by suitable arrangement of the driving-belts after turning the buckets I to cause them to scoop the grain and discharge it in a direction respect ively the opposite of that hercinbet'ore described.

My improved apparatus may also be made ,to serve the purpose of a levelcr of the. grain in a vat after it has been disturl'ied and rendered irregular on its surface by the turning operation. This I accomplish by raising the elevator portion (afforded by the apron and buckets on the pulleys 7.: and 1.") by swinging it on the shaft n, after tirst loosmiing the hubs at, to bring the lowest bucket into contact with the surface of the grain, in which position it may be sustained and secured by fastening it with a cable or the like to the frame, and the chain 1 is disconuectwl from the sprocket-wheel I to prevent the traveling motion of the device from affecting the elevator and utilizing such traveling motion only to scrape and thereby level the surface of the grain by means of the bucket in contact with it. If desired, the apparatus may also be used to rake the grain automatically from the rear end of a vatto the forward end, at which it.- is discharged therefrom through. a hopper, r. To accomplish this, the elevator may be raised on its pivot to cause a scoop to enter the grain to a desired. depth and carry a portion of the surface grain to the outlet, when it may be returned by hand to the rear end and the elevatorlowered on its pivot and secured to lower the serapi ng or raking scoop sufficiently far to scrape the grain, to a desired. depth below the previously-removed surface, these operations being repeated un til the entire contents of the at have been brought forward to the discltarging-point. If desired, brooms or brushes It" may be removably attached to the edges of the scoops F, to sweep the remnants of grain from the floor of the vat, by turning the elevator, as in the malt-turnin operation.

\Vhile my improved apparatus is intended. for use especially in the connection d escribed, I. do not of course limit myself to such particular con n eetion, as it may obviously l )c used with any germinz'ttirig-chamber.

hat I claim as new, and desire to seen re by Letters Patent, is

1. In a malt-turning apparatus, the combination of a frame, l3, movable on its support, and an elevator having an endless belt, E, carrying a bucket, I and. supported from the frame and. driven by its movement and pivotallyadjustable on its su )ort, substantially as described.

2. In a malt-turning apl'iaratus, the combination of a frame, 13, movable on its support, and an elevator comprising an endless belt, E, supported on, the frame and. connected. therewith to be driven. by its movement, a

bucket, F, hinged to the belt, and thereby reversible in position, and clamps g on the belt for rigidly holding the bucket in its adjusted positions, substantially as described.

3. A malt-turning apparatus comprising, in combination, a frame, B, shafts q and q, carrying wheels upon which the frame is supported and movable, a rotary shaft, n, supported from the frame and actuated from the frame-moving mechanism and carrying pulleys 715a shaft, 01 connected with the shaft n and pivotally adjustable thereon and carrying pulleys it, an endless belt, E, surrounding the pulleys 7i and 7;, and a bucket, F, secured upon the belt, substantially as described.

at. A malt-turning apparatus c omprising,in combination, a frame, 13, shafts q and q, carrying wheels upon which the frame is supported and movable, brackets D and D, extending from the frame, a shaft, n, and means for rotating the same, and supported in the brackets and actuated from the frame-movin g mechanism, and carrying pulleys k, a shaft, 11 connected with the shaft n and pivotally adjustable thereon and carrying pulleys 70', an

endless belt, E, surrounding the pulleys 7c and 712', and a bucket, F, secured upon the belt, substantially as described.

5. A malt-turning apparatus comprising, in combination, a frame, 13, shafts q and q, carrying wheels upon which the frame is supported and movable, a shaft, '17, and means for rotating the same, driven from a shaft, q or (7, brackets D and D, rigidly secured to the frame, a shaft, a, supported in the brackets and driven from the shaft n and carrying pulleys 7;, arms D and D pivotally supported from the brackets and normally secured against pivotal movement and carrying a rotary shaft, 11 having pulleys 71:, and an endless belt, E, surrounding the pulleys 7; and 70' and provided with reversibl ebu'ckets F, hinged to the endless belt, and clamps y, substantially as described.

\VILLIAM GRIESSER.

In presence of J. W. DYRENFORTH, CHAS. E. GAYLORD. 

